Patient Advice and Liaison Service

Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is here to help when you need advice, have concerns or don't know where to turn.

As a patient, relative or carer sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice and support. This is where the Patient Advice and Liaison Service comes in.

Commendations, comments, concerns and complaints all help towards constantly reviewing and improving our services for our patients and their families. We want to hear about your experiences whether good or bad. This is very important allowing us to praise the things that are working well and to make improvements where your experiences have not been so positive.

The Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) is here to:

help answer any questions about your care in hospital;

advise and support you, your family and carers. We understand that being in hospital can be an anxious time and you might need someone else to act on your behalf;

listen to your suggestions for improving our service for patients and visitors;

respond to your concerns if you are unhappy with any aspect of your care and advise you through the NHS complaints process;

respond to your suggestions or queries;

pass on your compliments to staff if you are pleased with any aspect of your care;

provide information on NHS services.

Commendations, comments, concerns and complaints all help towards constantly reviewing and improving our services for our patients and their families. We want to hear about your experiences whether good or bad. This is very important allowing us to praise where things are working well and to make improvements where your experiences have not been so positive.

We will always ask for your permission before personal information is discussed with others. We can talk to staff, management and other organisations on your behalf.

The service is free and confidential. Only in exceptional cases where your safety or that of others must be considered will we have to pass on information. We will always tell you if we have to do this.

Our aim is to agree the best way forward to deal with a problem and get it resolved quickly - if possible on the spot.

The Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) aims to support the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman’s principles of:

Getting it right

Being customer focused

Being open and accountable

Acting fairly and proportionately

Putting things right

Seeking continuous improvement.

British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreters

If you would like to speak to a Patient Advice and Liaison (PALS) officer with an interpreter present, please email or text PALS, who will be happy to arrange an appointment for you.